Picture the following scenario: you shell out a considerable amount of cash for a PC that you have been eyeballing for quite some time. It’s all perfect in the beginning. It starts up lightning-fast, programs start running almost momentarily, and so on. This can go on for weeks, or even months, but it ends sooner or later, no matter how hard you try to keep it up. You can go out and spend money, again, and upgrade which is always the best option, but it might not always be the most necessary. With a few simple tricks, you can speed up your PC and have it run smoothly, without the need to invest in expensive new hardware. Let’s see what you can do.

Make Use of Disk Cleanup

For those of you who haven’t used this one before, we advise you to do so immediately. You will be surprised how much space this feature will be able to free up. When you install massive programs, or copy large files, stuff such as logos or temporary files will remain on your computer in most cases causing it to slow down and drag its feet. Freeing up several gigabytes of unused temporary files might just turn your PC into the speed demon it once was.

Install and Run CCleaner

While you can gain access to your computer’s registries, it’s always best to leave that one up to specialized software, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. One of the most reliable programs for years, that is specifically used for that purpose, is CCleaner. This one has been the darling of all major PC publications ever since it first appeared on the market, and for a good reason. Not because it’s free, although it doesn’t hurt, but because it will clean out old and corrupted registry entries left after uninstallation of software.

Perform Hard Drive Defragmentation

This is also one of those things we rarely or never do. Regardless of where you store your files on your hard drive, they are usually broken up into smaller fragments, and stored on different locations, which means that the reader head of your HDD has to go back and forth to read the entire file. Defragmentation puts all those data blocks next to each other for quicker access, which results in your PC working much faster. To access this feature, open your Start Menu, and type “defrag”, or locate Disk Defragmenter in the Control Panel.

Smartphones are an effective tool. They can streamline work, personal lives, and relationships. However, when work needs to be done, a smartphone can also be a distraction. Some companies offer cell phones to their employees to help them keep their work lives organized, but boundaries need to be set. Employers have a hard time creating that boundary. What is acceptable? What is expected? And then there are more subtle ways to curb an employee’s excessive or inappropriate use of their company smartphones.

Why are smartphones such a distraction?

New technology always takes time to integrate itself into society and culture. It’s a time for excess and adjustment. When companies offer phones to their employees, it’s to boost productivity, not hinder it. Ideally, employees use their work phone for work only, even after business hours. However, distractions come with the territory. Unnecessary apps such as games can be a huge problem. It’s easy for employees to lose concentration on work when they are interested in beating their high score. Another danger to productivity: the Internet. There is just too much information to lure users in and keep them there for hours. These are things for companies to consider before offering phones to their employees.

What can be done about it?

One thing is certain; employers can control what’s going on in the workplace far more easily than what is done in the home. So the first step is to implement strict cell phones rules at the office. Employers can consult their human resources department to get tips on how to enforce it company-wide and create a culture of expectations. These types of guidelines can be difficult to enforce as some employees hide what they’re doing.

Monitoring Software Programs

Fortunately, there is software available to curb these distractions. They are similar to what parents use to monitor their children’s phones – you can read about spy software here. Employers are able to track websites visited, calls, text messages, and apps downloaded. This software can even block inappropriate websites from being visited. Here is a list of popular smartphone monitoring software:

PhoneSheriff

mSpy

Mobile Spy

MobiStealth

StealthGenie

This software is fairly impressive and most of the brands come with great customer support. For larger companies, these software brands can be contacted in order to get a more tailored customer service experience. They are often willing to work closely with IT departments to install the programs, implement updates, and offer ongoing customer support.

Monitoring should be the last line of defense against lack of productivity or inappropriate behavior. It’s important to set fast and hard rules against smartphone overuse. Once a culture of responsibility is created around proper use of company smartphones, there will only be isolated issues. Then, employers can target problems on a case by case basis instead of spending time on mass surveillance.

Everyone is looking for ways to make life easier. “Life hacking” is a new term techies use to refer to things one can do to make life’s more mundane tasks more efficient and even enjoyable.

Microsoft Office products aren’t just for writing term papers or inputting data for work. There are practical, household applications for these programs that could improve your life. From meal planning to budgeting, you will have your house in order in no time.

Meal Planning

A way to save money on a daily basis is to do weekly or monthly meal planning. Cooking at home can save you hundreds a year and help you maintain dietary restrictions. You can use Word to brainstorm meals, and then use Excel to organize your ideas. You can insert links to recipe website, list ingredients, add dates for when you want to cook, and a budget you’d like to maintain. Then, take the list with you to the grocery store, and use it to shop. Excel allows you to be as detailed as you want to be, hide cells, and calculate calories or money.

Creating a Monthly Budget

Track your spending with Excel. Create monthly spreadsheets with your bills, food budget, and other expenses. It allows you to set goals for yourself and see where you may be losing money. Excel’s tools allow you to set calculations. All you need to do is insert your expenses, and the program does the math for you.

Type Up Your Daily Tasks

Use Word as your digital note pad. Keep it minimized all day so you can write notes, make lists, and organize your day without wasting paper. If you are working in front of your computer, it’s convenient. You can even save daily tasks for your files.

Keep Track of Gifts

This may seem unnecessary, but if you have family, friends, or charities you give gifts to, it can be helpful. You can look at last year’s list to see what your nephew likes or track charitable gifts for tax purposes. It’s not only useful for gifts you give but gifts you receive. You can use Excel to write down the gift, the occasion, who sent the gift, and the gift-givers address so that you can send a thank-you card. Making a spreadsheet for gifts is extremely helpful for big events like weddings and baby showers when there are many gifts to track.

The possibilities and uses for Microsoft Word and Excel are endless. These are just a few ways you can use these programs for daily organization.

Staying up to speed on all things technology is difficult. Daily changes, innovations, and studies make it the most dynamic field of study. Some websites exist just to spread tech news and gossip, but sifting through legitimate sites for something that suits your curiosity can take time. Here we break-down some popular tech sites.

Wired

Wired is a great place to find tech articles that concern your particular interests. They divide their articles by different subheadings such as “gear,” “design,” “security,” and “business.” They all have to do with how technology pertains to these areas. Some of it is more news-driven while other articles feature interesting factoids national news may not cover.

ArsTechnica

ArsTechnica is less mainstream than Wired. This website covers diverse topics on the fringe culture of the tech world. From gaming to hacktivism, it has a bit of something for everyone. The blog-style layout is perfect for daily browsing. Bookmark it or add it to your RSS feed for updates. If discussing technology is of more interest to you, ArsTechnica has many forums on different tech topics.

CNET

CNET is the place for new tech gadgets and gear. Reviews and previews for the latest cell phones, PCs, software, and games are all available for reading. There are also how-to guides for everything from home appliances to iPods. If you are looking to shop for any tech devices, CNET has a deals and coupon guides for current sales.

BBC Tech Blog

The BBC may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about technology, but their tech blog does update daily with international news. It’s less review-centric and focuses on news and breakthroughs. BBC is great for people who want to keep up with trends and news but are not focused on anything too specific.

TechCrunch

TechCrunch has an interesting format that incorporates more visual media. Videos dominate this website through their TCTV. Their videos offer reviews, insights, and interviews to viewers looking for new technology. Some of their “channels” are focused on areas of the world such as Europe and Asia, taking this blog to a global level whereas similar sites focus on technology in the United States.

Whatever your tech information needs, these sites have it. Each offers something a little different in terms of format and topics. Pros and novices alike have a lot to gain from technology blogs, and in an ever-changing industry like technology, there is daily news to read.

There was a time when laptops were considered unsuitable for business use. Most business related work was done on either mainframes or Desktop PCs. This was the era of low powered laptops with various problems like low RAM, fast heating, low resolution monitors, difficult to upgrade etc.

On the other hand, desktops were faster with high RAM, cooling facility and easy upgrades. They could be upgraded according to your wishes and whenever the specs were not acceptable, they could be updated to run even faster applications. This was difficult to do on laptops which were not easily disassembled to be fitted with newer parts. There was a lot against buying a laptop for running your business.

But as times have progressed, laptops have become beasts on their own right. They are now lighter, much faster and extremely versatile. Today, laptops are as fast as desktops and there is little to distinguish between them. Most software and applications easily run on both the platforms. But laptops also provide the obvious added benefit of portability that desktops can’t provide.

Business users love to have access to their work all the time. Often, this is absolutely crucial for their business as not having crucial documents can affect their productivity. Laptops now provide the luxury of having a business environment of a desktop as well as the flexibility of a laptop.

One of the biggest advantages that desktops had in previous generations was price. Desktops were much cheaper than laptops, and this was especially true for high-powered laptops that were suitable for business purposes. But with newer laptops, price has ceased to be a factor as laptops are not only high-powered but also competitive in terms of cost. These business laptops are as suitable for business work as desktops and can perform equally well. You can now carry your work everywhere without adhering to any particular workplace.

Laptops have also become very durable in the past few years. They last longer with great efficiency and hence are perfectly suitable for high performance business work. Presentations are an important part of business life and laptops are best suited for it as you can make presentations on the fly, plus your laptop to a projector and give the presentation. With desktops, you have to take the added trouble of transferring your files. Laptops usually ship with built in Wi-Fi which helps you to connect with the wireless network and work from anywhere. Moreover, they also weigh less and less everyday which increases their portability and your comfort level.

If you think a laptop may not be suitable for all of your business needs, you really need to check out some of the modern models available right now. You can have power and versatility to match most desktop configurations – along with all of the obvious advantages of the laptop. Something to think about.

Everyone uses laptops these days. We use them every day for work, pleasure, to make money or to even spend money. People refer to their laptops as their whole lives, because all our memories, documents and media are stored on your portable computers.

What happens when your laptop gets broken? It feels like a part of your live is gone too, doesn’t it? The whole idea of a laptop is that it can be carried around without any electricity for a while. What’s the point if your laptop’s battery keeps draining? There’s no goal for the laptop then, is there? Then it’s not called a laptop anymore, is it? To save you some extra money, just follow these simple steps!

Firstly, close all your background tasks, as they all work at the same time and that will drastically decrease your battery life. Only use the most important tasks at a time.

If your laptop has a wireless card, you will need to switch it of if you are not using it.

If you do not plan to use your volume on your laptop, you can mute it and switch it back on whenever you need it.

Another great way to save your laptop’s battery life, you can adjust the brightness of your screen.

Please make sure that your laptop is always the right temperature and cooled off whenever it gets hot. Extreme temperatures on your laptop will decrease your laptop’s battery life.

Always try to enable your computer’s power saving mode, both Windows and Mac have those options. When you are not using your laptop, rather switch it off or put it on hibernate, rather than switching it over to stand by.

Make sure you don’t charge your laptop too much or too less. Keep track of your laptop’s charging period, as you need to make sure your laptop charges the right amount that it should.

Make sure your laptop is always on the right surface. Places like pillows, blankets, couches will be the cause of the laptop heating up. Make sure your surroundings are open and clean around your laptop. Dust is dangerous to any computer. You can always decrease the time before your screen dims out.

There you have it! Use these simple steps to save your laptop’s battery life. It is not hard to follow, you just need to be aware of your computer’s battery and then you are good to go and enjoy your fun and long-lasting battery life! Besides your photos and work that are stored on your laptop, the battery is the most important element in your computer.

This article is to help you to increase your laptop’s battery life, so that your laptop doesn’t need to be charged the whole time. By doing only a few simple steps that is as easy as pie, you can get the longest possible battery life on your laptop. We don’t want you to waste your money in replacing the battery of your laptop now, do we?